Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), known professionally as Anderson .Paak (/pæk, pɑːk/), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist from Oxnard, California. He released his debut mixtape, O.B.E. Vol. 1 in 2012 and went on to release Venice in 2014. He later followed up with Malibu, in 2016, which received a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammy Awards, followed by Oxnard, in 2018 and Ventura, in 2019. At the 61st Grammy Awards, Paak won his first Grammy award for Best Rap Performance with the song “Bubblin”. He again won a Grammy Award in 2020 for “Best R&B Album” with Ventura and one for Best R&B Performance for “Come Home” (featuring André 3000).
Apart from his solo career, Anderson formed the duo NxWorries in 2015, alongside record producer Knxwledge. He is frequently accompanied by the band Free Nationals, who play a variety of instruments such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards and drums and also serve as backing vocalists. In 2021, he formed a duo called Silk Sonic along with fellow recording artist Bruno Mars.
Early life
Brandon Paak Anderson was born at St John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, California, on February 8, 1986. He is of mixed African American and Korean heritage. Anderson’s mother was born in South Korea during the Korean War to a Korean woman and an African American soldier. She was initially raised by her Korean grandparents, before being placed in an orphanage and then later adopted by an American family who lived in Los Angeles.
At the age of seven, Anderson witnessed his estranged father attack his mother: “My little sister and I went out front and my pops was on top of my mom. There was blood in the street. He was arrested and that was the last time I saw him. I think he did fourteen years.”
Career
2009–2013: Career beginnings
Anderson began producing music from his bedroom as a teenager, while attending Foothill Technology High School. His first experiences performing were as a drummer at his family’s church. In 2011, prior to being a successful working musician, Anderson became homeless with his wife and infant son after he was dismissed from his job at a marijuana farm in Santa Barbara. Early in his career, Anderson used the stage name Breezy Lovejoy.
In 2011, Anderson had started earning acceptance in the Los Angeles music world as he worked on his debut album. Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra and Los Angeles based rapper Dumbfoundead helped Anderson recover financially from losing his job in Santa Barbara by employing him as an assistant, videographer, editor, writer and producer. He completed O.B.E. Vol.1 and released the album on June 30, 2012. He became the drummer for former American Idol semi-finalist Haley Reinhart. After the release of O.B.E. Vol.1, Anderson changed his stage name to Anderson .Paak.
On November 27, 2013, Paak produced and recorded Cover Art, an all-covers EP. Paak was inspired by the white artists of the 1950s who achieved commercial success by remaking songs written by Black blues and R&B singers, while hardly ever compensating the original artists. Cover Art reversed the process and transformed folk and rock classics from white musicians into a mold of soul, funk, jazz, left-field pop, hip-hop, and R&B. The album was released by the independent Hellfyre Club and OBE labels. Paak was the lead producer for Watsky’s 2014 album All You Can Do and is featured on three of its sixteen tracks.
2014–2017: Venice and Malibu
Paak performing in July 2016
On October 28, 2014, Paak released Venice, his debut album as Anderson Paak, on OBE and Steel Wool. Paak performed on six songs on Dr. Dre’s 2015 album Compton and two on The Game’s The Documentary 2.5. In 2014, Paak also joined Jhené Aiko on her ‘Enter The Void’ tour. In October 2015, he announced that he had recorded material with Schoolboy Q and 9th Wonder. Paak released his second album, Malibu, on January 15, 2016, to critical acclaim, featuring contributions from 9th Wonder, Rapsody, and Kaytranada.
In January 2016, he indicated that he had been recording with Flying Lotus. On January 30, 2016, Paak spoke with Scott Simon of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday about his tumultuous background as a child of mixed-race parents, that the “.” in his name stands for “detail”, his apprenticeship with Dr. Dre and how all of these influences shaped his music. On January 30, Paak announced via Twitter he has signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. He said he always sends his ideas to Dr. Dre and the two work very fast. In 2016, Paak was named one of the XXL Freshmen, along with Lil Dicky, Desiigner, Dave East, Denzel Curry, Lil Yachty, G Herbo, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, & Kodak Black.
In August 2016, Paak performed on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series with his backing band the Free Nationals. The concert has since become “the most popular in the history of the series,” according to NPR.
2018–2019: Oxnard and Ventura
In 2018, Paak’s new single “Til It’s Over” featured in a new TV commercial released by Apple Inc. The advertisement was directed by Spike Jonze, featuring FKA Twigs in the video, promoting the Apple HomePod smart speaker. Along with collaborations with Apple, “Til It’s Over” was used in a playlist in the 2018 video game, Forza Horizon 4. His song Bubblin was in the playlist of Madden NFL 19. In an interview with Complex magazine posted on October 10, 2018, Paak revealed that his forthcoming album Oxnard would be released on November 16, 2018. Paak released his third studio album Oxnard on 16 November. The album is executive produced by Dr. Dre and is an homage to Paak’s hometown in California. The album has a heavy funk theme throughout the project and features artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, and J. Cole. The album features the song “Cheers”, a Q-Tip featured track paying homage to his late friend Mac Miller. He also co-wrote 2 songs on the sixth album from Christina Aguilera, Liberation in 2018. On December 3, 2018, Paak announced a world tour in support of Oxnard. The tour is titled “Andy’s Beach Club” and began in the U.S. on February 11, 2019, before heading over to Europe.
Paak released his fourth studio album, Ventura, on April 12, 2019, featuring artists such as André 3000, Smokey Robinson, Brandy, and the late Nate Dogg, among others. Ventura was executive produced by Dr. Dre and was released by Dre’s record label, Aftermath Entertainment. The title follows the theme of his previous albums, making his way up the California coast. Whereas Oxnard covered various snippets of Paak’s life in vivid detail, Ventura homes in on more personal details of the artist himself, returning to the mine of slick R&B and funk rap of his acclaimed debut Malibu. “Growing up in Oxnard gave me the grit and the church to find this voice of mine. One town over, I went further and found my depth,” Paak said in a press statement. He also announced a new tour, titled “The Best Teef In the Game Tour” with his band, The Free Nationals, which began on May 17, 2019. The tour was supported by Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, Earl Sweatshirt, Noname, and Jessie Reyez.
2020–present: Silk Sonic
On January 20, 2020, Paak was a guest showcase model on the television game show The Price Is Right. Also in January 2020, Paak was featured on Eminem’s eleventh studio album release titled Music to be Murdered By on the track “Lock It Up.”
Paak released the non-album single “Lockdown” in June 2020, coinciding with the commemoration of Juneteenth in the United States. The music video, directed by Dave Meyers featured appearances from Jay Rock, Dumbfoundead, SiR, Syd (of The Internet) and other musicians. In August 2020, Paak was featured on the soundtrack to the Madden NFL 21 game, on the song “Cut Em In”, featuring Rick Ross, which was also played during the end credits of Tom & Jerry.
On February 26, 2021, Paak and American singer Bruno Mars announced they formed a band together called Silk Sonic. Their upcoming studio album is set to be titled An Evening with Silk Sonic and features Bootsy Collins.
Personal life
Paak met his wife, Jaylyn, at the time a college music student from South Korea. In 2011, prior to being a successful working musician, Paak was working at a marijuana farm in Santa Barbara. He was dismissed without warning and became homeless with his wife and infant son. The couple had a second son in 2017.
The Free Nationals – band members
- Jose Rios – lead guitars, backing vocals
- Ron “T.Nava” Avant – keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
- Kelsey Gonzalez – bass guitar, bass synth, backing vocals
- Callum “Lo_Def” Connor – DJ, drums, percussion, backing vocals
The Free Nationals released their self-titled debut album in 2019, featuring Daniel Caesar, Kali Uchis, T.I., and the late Mac Miller, among others. The track “Gidget” on Free Nationals features Paak.
Discography
Studio albums
- Venice (2014)
- Malibu (2016)
- Oxnard (2018)
- Ventura (2019)
Collaborative albums
- Yes Lawd! (with Knxwledge, as NxWorries) (2016)
- An Evening with Silk Sonic (with Bruno Mars, as Silk Sonic) (2021)
Tours
- Headlining
- Andy’s Beach Club (with The Free Nationals) (2019)
- The Best Teef In the Game Tour (with The Free Nationals) (2020)
- Supporting
- Wintervention Tour (Wax & Dumbfoundead) (2013)
- Enter The Void Tour (Jhené Aiko) (2014)
- 24K Magic World Tour (Bruno Mars) (2017)
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BET Hip Hop Awards | 2016 | Himself | Best New Hip Hop Artist | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Best Foreign Act | Nominated | |||
| Grammy Awards | 2017 | Best New Artist | Nominated | ||
| Malibu | Best Urban Contemporary Album | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | “Bubblin” | Best Rap Performance | Won | ||
| 2020 | Ventura | Best R&B Album | Won | ||
| “Come Home” (feat. André 3000) | Best R&B Performance | Won | |||
| 2021 | “Lockdown” | Best Music Video | Nominated | ||
| Best Melodic Rap Performance | Won | ||||
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2016 | Himself | Best New Artist | Nominated | |
| Centric Certified Award | Won | ||||
| Sweden GAFFA Awards | 2016 | Best Foreign New Act | Won |